Improvement in hay elevators or stack builders



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK WICKS, OF

KANSAS, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY ELEVATORS OR STACK BUILDERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,76I, dated October 18, 1864.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WIGKS, of Kansas, in the county of Edgar and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay Elevators or Stack Builders 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a side elevation of the contrivance. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation thereof.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate figures, denote like paris of the apparatus in both the drawings.

In the construction of these hay elevators or stack builders, besides the ordinary requirements of cheapness, portability, and strength, there are other essentials quite as'important to their general introduction-viz., that of being capable of coming up close to the stack that is being built, so that the swinging beam may not be so long or topheavy as to topple over the elevator, and yet allow the hay to be easily placed on any part of the stack that is being built; secondly, the transferring of a portion of the weight from the ends toward the central support of the swinging beam, which admits of greater stability in the structure; thirdly, so constructing` or arranging that the swinging beam may be readily taken down for transport-ation or stowage, and readily put up again by a single person with the aid of his team.

The nature of my invention consists in the combinationnof the permanent and braced inclined main beam and the movable vertical or upright beam, each furnished with metallic bearings or heads, for the purpose of making a firm structure, and a substantial turning support for the uppernpon the lower beam, and for allowing the apparatus to come close up to the stack to be built.

It further consists in so constructing and rigging the hoisting-rope as that the weight and draft shall not come entirely upon the ends of the swinging beam, but a portion of it taken upon its central support to give it additional firmness and less liability to topple over.

It further consists in an auxiliary mast or post, that can be united to the lower structure to admit of the raising up or lowering of the swinging beam for transportation or stowage.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents the main supporting-beam, which is set upon the base B in an inclined position for the purpose of allowing the counter or strut braces G to stand nearly or quite perpendicular, as this side of the elevator stands next the stack that is to be built, and otherwise the braces C, if inclined, and the main beam, if perpendicular, would not admit of this close proxiinityof the apparatus to the stack. The braces C are spread at their lower ends to the extent of the width of the base B, so as also to brace laterally as well as vertically, and their upper ends are-upon opposite sides ofthe main supporting-beam A, as shown in Fig. 2. Another brace, D, in a more inclined position, extends from the center of the rear portion ofthe base to the main beam A, as shown.

The above construction makes nearly a rightangled triangular frame, of which the main beam is the liypotenuse and the main brace the vertical side thereof. These parts are all united by metallicfastenings, which make them very rigid, and which admit of the whole being taken to pieces, to be stowed away when not required. On top of this angular frame there is a metallic head, E, firmly secured by throughbolts a a, passing through its sides or anges and through the topv of the main beam A, and a bolt or pin, b, in dotted lines, is set in or upon this head for the swinging beam F to turn upon. The swinging beam Fis composed of, rst, a metallic head, G, that has a hole for the pin b to enter, and which head rests and turns upon the lower head, E 5 secondly, an upright, H, secured to the head G, a crossbeam, F, secured to the upright by a metallic yoke, J, that rises up considerably above the said cross-beam, and braces K for bracing the beam F to the upright H. This construction is clearly shown in the drawings.

At each end of the swinging beam F there is a pulley, c, over which the hoisting-rope d passes, and in the upper part of the yoke or metallic frame J that rises above the beam F there is a pulley, e, over which also the hoistin g-rope passes. rIliis elevated central pulley,

c, performs two functions: First, it brings a portion of the weight and draft upon the central support of the swinging beam, which makes said beam more iirm on its support; and, secondly, it changes the position of the rope from a right to an obtuse angle with regard to the end pulleys, and correspondingly reducing the strain thereon. In addition to the pulleys at the ends of the swinging beam, I have arranged hooks f, to which anything may be fastened, if found necessary. On the main beam A, I have placed rungs g, for the purpose of ascending or descending the main beam to arrange the rigging, unship the swinging beam, or for any other purpose.

The elevating-fork L, composed of the tines l1., shank t', link j, brace lc, and trigger l, and cord m to operate it, is fastened to one end of the hoisting-rope d, and the team is fastened tothe other end of it. n is a guy-rope for swinging the beam F with.

When the machine is to be taken down for any purpose, I have s0 arranged that one person may .readily do it, as follows: M is a light post, having two holes, o o, through its base, that will fit over the set'screws a a in the metallic head E, and when the nuts of these screws are run up against this post it will have the position shown inv red lines in Fig. 2. Ou this post M there is a block, p, through which a line maybe reeved, and one end of it fastened to the swinging beam and the other end passed through the pulley q, and a horse or the team hitched thereto. The swinging beam can be raised up above the pin b, swung a little to one side, and then lowered to the ground. This done, the post M may be taken down, the other parts all disconnected by removing the metallic fastenings,

Aand the whole snugly piled or stowed away or transported to any other place.

The base B is made in the form of sled-runners for easily moving the apparatus from stack to stack or from place to place by the team or otherwise, and when the machine is in use hooked or shouldered stakes may be driven down alongside of the base to hold it firmly to the ground, if found necessary; but

the frame will stand very rm without them.

The metallic head G may be flanged like that E, to make a stronger union between it and the upright H, and the flanges may be on all four sides, or socket-like, to take the strain more from the bolts.

Having thus fully described the object and purpose of my invention, what I claim therein as new is- 1. The combination of the permanent and braced inclined main beam A, and the movable vertical or upright beam H, furnished,re spectively, with metallic bearings or heads E G, for the purpose of making a firm structure and a substantial turning support for the upper upon the lower beam, and for allowing the apparatus to come close up to the stack to be built, substantially Vas described.

2. In connection with the swinging beam and its end pulleys, c, the metallic frame J audits pulley c, above said beam, for the purpose of bringing a portion of the strain more directly to the center of the beam and to ease oft' the angle at which the rope would otherwise pass the pulleys c c, substantially as described.

3. The auxiliary post M, made to be united to the head E, for the purpose of enabling the user to place or displace and lower theswinging beam when the apparatus is to be moved away or taken down, substantially as described.

FRANK WICKS.

Witnesses WASHINGTON STEPLETON, JAMES BARRETT. 

